IIH organises Hamfest India

Bengaluru: The two-day event of Hamfest India 2018 organised by the Indian Institute of Hams (IIH) in association with the REVA University, concluded here on Sunday is successful in instilling those people who already have an amateur radio licence but not operating on it. The amateur radio or HAM radio is a scientific activity in information technology, adventurous sport and second line of communication when all other means of communication is blocked out. HAM radio operators are self learners, inter-communicators and technical investigators and their community consists of students, educationalists, scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, top officials, politicians and even kings of princely states.

With over 300plus countries as their base, the thousands of HAM operators communicate with others for free and make friends of others, using their call sign like VU3YUP, a code with five to six alphanumeric in it. In India, there are thousands of HAM radio licensees but only a few hundreds of them are actively operating them. The National Institute of Amateur Radio at Hyderabad, Amateur Radio Society of India, Indian Institute of HAMs and similar organizations are promoting HAM activity in the country.

The Indian Institute of Hams is established in 1993 as an affiliate of National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR), Hyderabad and institutional member of Amateur Radio Society of India (ARSI). Celebrating the silver jubilee year, the IIH is credited for being instrumental in increasing the population of HAMs for more than 10000 in India in all these years. After winning the bid to organise the HAMFEST INDIA 2018, the director of IIH and general convenor for the event, Dr S Sathyapal VU2FI involved many related organizations and associations of HAMs in all states and successful in bringing together around 1400 HAMs at one place.

The REVA University chancellor Dr P Shyama Raju, wireless advisor to Government of India Ram Bilas Prasad, post master general of Karnataka Charles Lobo, assistant wireless advisor to the government of India Ramesh Chandra Malik, president of ARSI Gopal Madhavan VU2GMN, founder chairman of NIAR S Suri VU2MY, considered to be Bheeshma of HAMs in India RJ Marcus VU2VTM and others inaugurated the first day session on Saturday. Shyama Raju announced that the REVA University will continue to promote HAM radio activity and said that they will provide all technical support for their students on HAM operation and research through their HAM Radio Club. Lobo shared his experience with the HAM radio operators during calamities and how he is planning to offer HAM training to all postmen in the Karnataka circle to help in rescue and rehabilitation services after the disasters. He announced that already a batch of postal officials at Postal department training centre at Mysore has completed the trayand are awaiting licence.

The wireless advisors shared that they have proposals to revamp the HAM radio licencing system by introducing online exam in the place of offline exam, smart card for paper certificate cum licence and simplifying the licencing process. The general convener for the HAMFEST INDIA 2018, Sathyapal proposed few amendments for the HAM licensing process on behalf of the amateur radio community. Arza Ramesh, who runs a HAM radio club and trains aspirants for the licence opined that the government should cancel the licencing fee and simply the process as many countries in the world are taking decisions in favour of them.

The programme assured the amateur radio enthusiasts community across the country that the officials from the officials, institutes and other stake holders are listening to them and are working on empowering them on skill development in Amateur Radio Technology and communication network in nation building during natural calamities and disasters. A number of traders exhibited and sold the latest equipment and tools while few researching HAMs displayed their developed technologies and softwares in flea market held as aprt of the HAMFEST.

BY Naresh Nandam